By Catholic Philly staff • Posted April 14, 2023

In his prayer intention for April 2023, Pope Francis asks us to “develop a culture of peace” and pray for the spread of non-violence.

 

In the video, Pope Francis offers the following message:

“Living, speaking, and acting without violence is not surrendering, losing or giving up anything, but aspiring to everything.

As Saint John XXIII said 60 years ago in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris, war is madness. It’s beyond reason.

Any war, any armed confrontation, always ends in defeat for all.

Let us develop a culture of peace. Let us remember that, even in cases of self-defense, peace is the ultimate goal, and that a lasting peace can exist only without weapons.

Let us make non-violence a guide for our actions, both in daily life and in international relations.

And let us pray for a more widespread culture of non-violence, that will progress when countries and citizens alike resort less and less to the use of arms.”

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Editor’s Note: Read the full list of the Pope Francis’ Monthly Intentions for 2023 here.